Arve, the Architect

Over 50 years ago, in 1972, Arve Johnsen began as first CEO of the Norwegian state oil company, Statoil, which had been established by an act of Parliament in the Norwegian Storting. As state secretary in Norway's ministry of industry, and one of the main architects behind the company, Johnsen was a natural choice for CEO.

As he opened the door to the office in a rented apartment in downtown Stavanger for the very first time, Johnsen was faced with a completely bare room. As the first and only employee of Statoil, his task would be to assemble a team to build the company.

And as he stood there in the doorway, the enormity of the task loomed before him, crystallising into three visionary ideas:

But his next thoughts were more prosaic — the sheer practicalities of starting an office.

Where can I recruit people for the management team, and not least: Where should I go to find furniture for the first board meeting?

This was over 50 years ago, on 1 December 1972, barely three years after the first commercially viable oil discovery in the North Sea. And it was no coincidence that Arve Johnsen was the first employee. As state secretary in Norway's ministry of industry, he was one of the main architects behind the company established to ensure that the nation's natural resources benefited all of Norwegian society.

Statoil was established, with Arve Johnsen as CEO, and Johnsen was able to recruit the people he needed: people with vision. People who understood what he meant when he said that the difference between the impossible and the possible was just a matter of time. And those who understood that cooperation with others – politicians, local communities, and industry players – would be crucial.

And so it became, through close collaboration, the industry that transformed Norway's fortunes, just as Johnsen had initially thought on that symbolic first day in Stavanger: safety, research, and development.

What does a small cigar box have to do with the energy transition?

50 years ago, Statoil’s entire cash balance was kept in a small cigar box in a drawer. Today, we’re an international energy company, and our reserves ​​will help us achieve our ambitions of net zero emissions in 2050.

Marit Falck (1925—2020) hurried with light steps through the streets of Stavanger. She was on her way to a job interview with Statoil, a newly established company located in an apartment in Lagårdsveien in downtown Stavanger.

The boss himself, Arve Johnsen, opened the door. He was the company’s only employee.

And minutes later, Marit was to become the second employee, as financial secretary.

Although she had half a year at business school, she emphasised that she didn’t have any accounting experience. Nevertheless, on her first day, she devised a system for the company’s finances. The system consisted of a few banknotes, a couple of stamps and a money box, which in fact was a small cigar box she had brought from home.